Cubs agree to 1-year contract with LH reliever Caleb Thielbar, AP source says

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The Chicago Cubs retained a key reliever on Tuesday, agreeing to a one-year contract with Caleb Thielbar.

A person familiar with the deal confirmed the agreement to the AP on condition of anonymity because it was pending a physical.

By the numbers:

Thielbar, who turns 39 in January, went 3-4 with a 2.64 ERA in 67 appearances in his first season with Chicago. He held lefty batters to a .161 batting average and a .486 OPS.

Thielbar's return puts another left-hander in Chicago's bullpen after Hoby Milner agreed to a $3.75 million, one-year contract this month. Right-handed reliever Phil Maton finalized a $14.5 million, two-year contract with the Cubs on Nov. 25.

Chicago is looking for a return trip to the postseason after it made the playoffs this year for the first time since 2020. Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz — two more key relievers for the Cubs — are free agents.

The backstory:

Thielbar spent his first eight seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He went 2-4 with a 5.32 ERA and three saves in 59 games in 2024.

The Minnesota native was selected by Milwaukee in the 18th round of the 2009 amateur draft. He is 26-16 with a 3.26 ERA in 414 career appearances, all in relief.